The All Progressives Congress (APC) risks alienating northern voters if it alters the composition of President Bola Tinubu’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election, Nigeria’s Minister of Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, warned.
Speaking on the Mic On Show with journalist Seun Okinbaloye, Musawa cautioned that removing Vice President Kashim Shettima or replacing him with a running mate who is not a Northern Muslim could create political complications in key northern states.
“If there is no Hausa, Fulani or Kanuri Muslim on that ticket, it creates a hurdle. That is the reality of the way people think,” she said, noting that political allegiances in Northern Nigeria are closely tied to longstanding social and regional structures.
Musawa listed states including Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara and Sokoto as regions where voters scrutinize political choices carefully. “The core North understands politics at a very deep level. Politics there is a way of life. People wait every four years to line up and vote because that is where they feel they have influence,” she said.
The minister dismissed suggestions that the APC could easily reconfigure its ticket without consequences, calling such assumptions a misreading of northern political sentiment. “If we start to toy with the current arrangement, it becomes a problem. Those making such suggestions may not fully appreciate how politics works in the North,” she said.
On the opposition, Musawa described the landscape as fragmented, with multiple actors pursuing similar ambitions. “You have an opposition that is overcrowded. Everyone is vying for the same position, and that alone creates a recipe for failure,” she said.
While acknowledging that a strong opposition is healthy for democracy, she expressed confidence in the APC’s ability to maintain its hold. “We are not taking anybody lightly. But from what we are seeing now, I don’t see how they can unseat President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima,” Musawa said.
The minister emphasized that the ruling party is focused on consolidating its support base and preparing for the next general election, underscoring the political significance of northern representation on the ticket.